Commentary March 2004: Jerome “Jerry” Lederer 1903-2004
Aviation safety pioneer Jerome “Jerry” Lederer died February 6 at the age of 101 in Laguna Hills, Calif., of congestive heart failure.

Aviation safety pioneer Jerome “Jerry” Lederer died February 6 at the age of 101 in Laguna Hills, Calif., of congestive heart failure. His lifelong dedication to preventing accidents made travel safer for everyone who flies aboard civilian aircraft.

Lederer’s devotion to safety dates back to the very beginning of commercial aviation when, in 1926 and 1927, he worked as the sole aeronautical engineer for the U.S. Air Mail Service. The usual cause of death for the many Air Mail pilots who lost their lives in the early 1920s was the fire that followed the crash. Lederer oversaw the construction of a concrete ramp leading to a concrete wall and the initiation of an aircraft crash testing facility. Unoccupied de Havilland DH.4 mailplanes were released down the ramp, under full power, and allowed to slam into the concrete wall.